National News

US sweetens Taliban deal in bid to get POW back

(NEWSER) – Time is ticking away for the US to extract American POW Bowe Bergdahl before the bulk of US forces withrdraw from Afghanistan this year, and the Obama administration is now once again considering a prisoner swap. The administration is looking to re-open talks with the Taliban about trading the Army sergeant's freedom for five Afghan Taliban prisoners currently detained at Guantanamo Bay, current and former officials tell the Washington Post. That offer has been on the table for more than two years, but just last month, US officials agreed to allow all five Gitmo prisoners to be released simultaneously, rather than one at a time or in groups of two.